Whether you’re suffering from the aches and pains of a sports injury or those of a sedentary desk job, it’s tempting to try to tough it out. You become used to the occasional pain and learn to modify your routine to minimize it.
But imagine if you didn’t have to live with the agony and inability to move about if a simple remedy could provide all that and more. Chronic and acute pain may both lead to limits that Active Release Therapy can help alleviate. Still cutting edge, an Alpine Health Center Virginia Beach Chiropractor is performing this therapy.
So, what exactly is this “Active Release Therapy” that everyone keeps talking about?
Active Release Physiotherapy (ART), also known as Active Release Treatment, is a noninvasive manual treatment method designed to alleviate soft tissue limitations that cause discomfort and movement problems. To improve the body’s performance, it’s necessary to eliminate adhesions and scar tissue. Muscle, tendon, ligament, nerve, and fascial disorders, both acute and chronic, are amenable to this kind of treatment.
A licensed physiotherapist can help you find the optimal posture for “active” tissue during treatment. By positioning you in a way that shortens the affected muscle, the therapist may apply manual stress to help heal an injury. It might take many applications of tension and movement to reach the point of complete release.
This kind of treatment is similar to massage in that it incorporates motion and stretching, but the physiotherapist will focus on specific areas by applying pressure with pinpoint accuracy. When your nervous system’s threshold for pain develops throughout the method, you may experience some severe sensations. Those who have experienced it often call it “good pain.”
How does it differ from other soft tissue approaches?
While the idea of release is shared by other therapies like massage and myofascial release, ART takes a very different approach. Around 500 distinct manual therapy methods are taught to students so they may evaluate and treat soft tissue constraints. Each session will begin with the therapist determining which muscles to focus on in order to get at the scar tissue that is the root of the problem. Therapeutic movement and physical strain on scar tissue are essential components of ART.
Who provides ART, a physiotherapist or a chiropractor?
Mike Leahy, a sports chiropractor from Colorado, created Active Release Therapy in the 1980s, and it soon became the treatment of choice for professional players and later the general public.
Both physical therapists and chiropractors may get training in active release (ART), meaning that you may receive ART as a standalone therapy option or in conjunction with other rehabilitation modalities. To get certified in ART, practitioners must study approximately 500 procedures for applying manual tension as well as patient movement to particular parts of the body.
Typical ART-Treated Illnesses:
Acute trauma, chronic trauma, cumulative or overuse trauma, and post-operative patients may be treated with ART. Anyone suffering from diseases associated with muscular overuse can benefit greatly from ART.
Conditions often treated with active release include:
- Suffering from a sore lower back,
- Sciatica,
- Symptoms of plantar fasciitis,
- Ache in the neck,
- Migraines and headaches,
- Syndrome of the carpal tunnel of the wrist,
- Golfer’s or tennis elbow,
- painful knees in runners,
- Tendonitis of the shins,
- Shoulders pain,
- Adverse reaction to cold, or frozen shoulder,
- Tendinitis,
- Injuries from other sports,
- Surgical adhesions and scarring.
Acute and chronic low back pain may be alleviated with active release therapy.
As you sit for long periods of time, the psoas muscle (which connects your vertebrae to your hip) tightens, which aids in maintaining proper spinal posture. Injury or overuse may cause inflammation in this muscle and the muscles of the lower back. Lower back discomfort might sometimes diminish when the therapist manually tenses the psoas muscle.
Lower back discomfort isn’t something you have to live with. ART is a painless way to feel better and get back on your feet. Both generalized lower back pain and sciatica may benefit from this technique, since the latter specifically targets the sciatic nerve in an effort to relieve any entrapment that could be present.
Active Release Therapy’s Advantages:
Reduced discomfort and improved range of motion and strength are just two of the many advantages of ART. Active release decreases scar tissue, which in turn increases blood flow and flexibility. In many cases, the advantages will become apparent after the first session, while in others, it may take up to three visits to get the full effect.
Basics of Scar Tissue:
Scar tissue occurs as a result of inflammation to repair and stabilize damaged tissue by connecting and binding it together with a thick fibrous matrix. It’s a normal part of the recovery process your body goes through. In contrast to healthy, normal tissue, scar tissue has a reduced ability to perform its intended function. Scarring or adhesions may shorten and weaken muscles and squeeze or entrap nerves, causing discomfort and dysfunction.
ART helps reduce pain and restore function by destroying adhesions and scar tissue that have formed after an injury.
Just how much does Active Release Therapy typically set you back?
Since that ART is practiced by physiotherapists and chiropractors, it is generally provided at no additional cost. It’s smart to ask about fees and insurance coverage before scheduling an appointment for Active Release Therapy. Painful and annoying headaches are quite prevalent. Pressure points and acupressure may help you cure your headache naturally.
The definition of pressure points.
Several areas of the human body are thought to be particularly sensitive and effective pressure sites. Reflexologists practice a kind of alternative Chinese medicine in which they claim that applying pressure to certain reflex zones may have a variety of health benefits.
- better your health,
- alleviate discomfort,
- return the body to a state of equilibrium.
Explain the concept of reflexology:
The focus of reflexology is on the relationship between different bodily parts. Because of this, you may need to switch hands (or massage areas) in order to treat, say, your head. When you’re in pain, you’ll know just where to apply pressure to get relief. It’s crucial to know how to treat your headache this way. If you’ve ever had a headache, we’ll break into the scientific rationale behind it and provide you with a list of pressure areas to test.
Headaches and pressure points: what the research says:
There is little evidence that reflexology for headaches is effective, and the trials we do have are underpowered. On the other hand, there have been a few investigations examining the effectiveness of massage treatment for headache relief by focusing on the neck and shoulders. It may be necessary to apply pressure to certain places on the head.
In a small study from 2002, researchers looked into the effects of massage therapy on four adults with chronic tension headaches, which were defined as headaches occurring twice or more per week for at least 6 months. The frequency, severity, and duration of headaches were all reduced after the 10 sessions of vigorous massage evaluated in this research.
Do you too suffer from migraine headaches? Pressure point stimulation for migraine treatment has also been the subject of research.
Maria Khatun Mona is a Founder and Editor of Nursing Exercise Blog. She is a Nursing and Midwifery Expert. Currently she is working as a Registered Nurse at Evercare Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh. She has great passion in writing different articles on Nursing and Midwifery. Mail her at “[email protected]”
